Hiding Tree Stumps

I have a few ideas but would welcome any new ones on how to hide unsightly tree stumps. A couple of years ago we had about 24 trees removed, mostly large pine so that I could use about 30 extra feet of space for planting. I know it sounds awful but the other main reason was that we had a large Tulip poplar sheding its leaves in our pool, what a mess. In order for the tree cutter to get the equipment in to that one, the others had to go. Anyway I have been working around all these stumps.

#1. On one large stump, I stapled chicken wire around the top of it and lined it with moss, then filled in with soil and made a planter about a foot deep. My geraniums love it.

#2. I had a large terracotta pot that I let stay outside last winter with about 3 inches of soil in it, well, it froze and the bottom came off. So, I placed this pot over a stump , filled it with soil and use it as a container too, I fear this one will freeze and split tho with a bad winter.

#3. I just completed building what my DH calls "the well". I took left over granite rip rap and surrounded a large stump with the stone and concrete. It's about 2 1/2' high & I think it looks great. I left about 10 inches of room above the top of the stump for planting. If I can figure out how to enter pictures on this site I will send them.

Any more ideas are welcome, I have lots more stumps. I don't have the patience to wait for them to rot away.



This message was edited Wednesday, Apr 25th 7:28 AM

LOL.....Love your last sentence!! You sure have come up with great ideas for the tree stumps and now have paved the way for other suggestions. I may have to deal with this in the near future (the tree stumps I mean). I actually have thought of lopping off the tops of some old pine trees that have seen better days, leaving about 15ft high trunks in order to grow roses around them. Which leads me to thinking that some ground cover roses over the stumps might look affective also. Then how about hollowing out a stump, line it with rubber liner and make a water feature out of it. By the way, if you glaze terracotta pots with a sealer they should survive the winter.

Azalea,

I love your ideas and would like to see photos. You can add photos to a new thread in the photo forum. You can only add one photo for each thread. Look forward to the pictures.

Sharon

I built a meandering raised bed incorporating (and hiding) a small maple stump in the front yard. Well, actually built two, one on each side. I still haven't figured what to do about the enormous (width) pine stump in the side yard. Some of your suggestions may trigger my old brain cells!

Yeah Darius, I forgot about the low stump I covered a year or 2 ago building an island over it, The Pine stump I used the chicken wire on was 30" across. It was healthy and would have left it but it was a "stand alone" after the other smaller ones behind it were removed. The tree man said this was a disaster waiting to happen with the windbreak behind it gone.

Thanks Louisa, never thought of glazing them. Can I just do it on the outside or do I need to dismantle thewhole thing and glaze the inside too? Would just a concrete sealer do?

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Thanks for so many quick responses. Karma, have you ever tried "just cutting into a tree stump? I tried this and it might be ok on an old rotten one, but it's really hard on fresh live wood. And don't mention the curse of Ivy to me. I pulled Ivy for 2 years clearing out a large area for my shade garden. I foolishly planted it on a bank on one side of our pool 20 years ago and needless to say, it got out of hand. All up the trees and through the woods. My DH said "whoever planted it should be shot". We still have worlds of it going the other direction in the woods behind us.

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Don't bet on it, Azalea. Karma is MUCH too exuberant to lurk for long - good to see you back here, KHT!!!! Did you see the new thread on slugs? Here we go again - where's Emlyn and her mead?

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Exciting, nah. Grueling, yes. I feel like Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke: ".....What's the dirt doin' in boss's ditch, Luke? I dunno. Well, git it outta there. Okay, Boss...."

I've moved one ton of sand (with the help of DH and DS and the garden trailer), 3/4 ton of pea gravel - mostly alone, with a two gallon pail (it had to be hauled into the area by hand); and laid 60 feet of stone walk meandering through the area with our larger pond. Then I built a 6x8 paved area large enough for two chairs and the hose cart in between back in a corner. Learned a lot about laying those preformed pavers. Dave/Trish, you want a seminar on how NOT to lay pavers? I could do that, LOL!!!!

Then we emptied the pond, pulled back the liner, dug a ledge about 12" deep x 12" wide all around the edge, patched the winter damage to the liner, put carpet padding on the shelf/ledge area, smoothed the liner back, re-filled the pond, re-laid the stones around the edge, and now I've got to go dig some more rock to add at least one more layer all the way around. Whew!

But now the fun begins - with the paths in, the pond re-done (almost!) and my new flower beds are defined (and tilled and amended, thanks to DS.) Shrubs I ordered are starting to come in and the perennials I've been slaving over are almost ready to set out. Woohoo!

Elena and I met last weekend and swapped some plants - I definitely got the better end of the bargain. Lots of neat stuff I didn't have, in exchange for some of my babies that I've been growing. We had such a good visit, gorgeous weather; I got to meet her family, and spend time in her gardens, which are BEEEE-U-TI-FUL.

Ummmm. I digress. Azalea, I'll be lurking on the thread, because I hope to soon have a large hole where a large tree now stands. But I may end up with a large stump instead, so I'll be looking for inspiration if that happens. Lots of good ideas so far.....although I'll heed your warning about the ivy!

Azalea regarding the terracotta pots. I just use a polyurethane sealer on the inside and outside of the pots. I also paint them just on the outside sometimes, gloss or semi gloss which in itself acts as a sealer. You know, the idea of using the stump as a flower pot did occur to me and think of the fun you could have with the chisel and hammer!

Karma, maybe I was a little harsh about my disdain for English Ivy. Thank you for your generous "almost offer". Believe it or not I have a small pot of the variegated in my kitchen. Forgive me for spouting off like I did, but I just get all bent out of shape when I think back on all that hard labor we did to clear it out. I couldn't even hire anybody to do it because it had Poisen Ivy and Honeysuckle mixed in it. It was my own fault to ever let it go like I did, it took me 3 years to get it established and almost that long to undo it. I really liked it but now I have a nice collection of Hostas, Ferns, Helleborus, Bleeding Heart, etc. where it was - much more interesting and prettier.

Azalea, have you read the thread on "garden mistakes"? Here it is, if you haven't. http://davesgarden.com/showthread/20066.html

I think every gardener has a plant that they have a violent reaction to because of a bad experience (especially when it involves poison ivy - yikes!)

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Yes I have been to the Garden Mistakes thread, maybe I should go there and tell my Wisteria story. Thanks

This message was edited Thursday, Apr 26th 10:27 PM

A friend of mine had several that were fairly close together and she used them for the bases(legs, so to speak) for garden benches. No one realized it but one of the stumps had been moved there to make 4. The benches were left natural except that they and the stumps were weather treated. They really looked good.

What a neat idea except most of mine are in the bright sun since the trees are gone and they are only about a foot or less high. I suppose if they were a little taller and in shade, you could put a board on them and make a cute bench. Thanks

Don't talk to me about ivy either!! My dad planted a little houseplant at the base of our garage. It eventually grew up the walls and onto the roof. It ended up lifting tiles off our garage roof and it took a long time to pull it all off. We had to get our garage roof repaired too!! I tried planting mint next to an old tree stump. It hid it quite nicely. Of course now I've decided to tidy up that corner, cut back the mint and lo and behold I've got a tree stump again.

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Azalea, While we were out of town today we got to visit at a house that had beautiful gardens and ponds. The first thing I saw as I walked up the drive were beautiful garden pyramids and they were placed over tree stumps. I immediately remembered this thread.

Some of the pyramids looked just like the one that Louisa hyperlinked in the Handyman Forum. http://www.transy.edu/homepages/wells/pyramid.htm

Tree stumps. Wish I had some.
Hi Azalea
Take your chicken wire,wrap around tree stump and connect with another tree stump,wrap around and continue connecting to other tree stumps to as many as you want and plant some sort of vine. If they are in sun,plant a clemantis,honeysuckle or what ever. On top of the stumps put a birdbath...from a terra cotta saucer, bird feeder from another saucer, add some sitty critters on some. If you have some tall tree stumps, add a birdhouse maybe, a pot with some sort of trailing plant and sit on top of stump, paint some if you have 2 stumps pretty close together...get yourself a couple of boards and lay across the top of the 2 stumps....wa-la a place to sit. Might want to screw the boards to top of stump tho. Could also put potted plants on boards instead of sitting. Hope some of these idea help.

PS. if you have extra stumps that you don't want...send my way.
If I can think of other suggestions will let you know. Just can't get woke up yet..

Well, I am a little slow sometimes in thinking outside the nox.... I posted earlier in this thread on how I covered 2 small stumps with a bed, but had no clue about the 3' diameter pine stump I have. Last week, I saw some stumps that had been cut criss-cross in the top of the stump with the chain saw that cut them down... what an idea! The grooves help hold water and rot the stumps much sooner that the flat surface which allows the water to run off! Of course, it will still take years, as we cannot get a stump grinder into the area to grind it off....

Boy, I had no idea that this thread would get so much attention. I really appreciate all the wonderful ideas, now if I can just find the time to try them out. Co Co, how did you come up with so many ideas if you don't have any stumps? Thanks so much.

Azalea

Azalea

Sometimes they just pop in my head or will happen to see what other people around here do. Also work with crafts so always have my eyes open for different things to do. Have no trees here so wish I had some of your stumps.
Azalea, another idea just popped: Take an old umbrella,remove fabric and secure in top of stump after drilling a hole for the umbrella handle to go into. At the base of the stump plant some sort of vine and in no time you will have your umbrella covered and put a sign that says Raining Morning Glories or what ever plant you decide to choose. Also: If you know of anyone that does any carving...have them carve something right into the stump, a face, an animal or whatever.
Take 2 stumps that are pretty close together again...drill a hole in the top of each and insert a wooden stake in each stump and then build yourself a small trellis with lattace and use for climbing vines, to hang things on(like small potted plants) or what ever.
Here I go again....sorry
Just have fun with those stumps.

Ok, here we go again - trying to bring this to the top.